Gem Hunt (FINISHED)

[RarityDash]

"Well, I agree but the oranges don't really taste better than apples even with all that work. Apples come in so many more varieties and you have so much you can do with it. I mean, Navel oranges are fine but they can get too citrusy and sometimes it stings when you try to peel in too deep and it jumps at you and gets in your eyes. I don't like to work hard at something and have it hurt me. Moro Oranges are too intense and can't be used for much outside of its intended use, and really without any flexibility they're useless. Valencias are good, nice and sweet, but did you know that if you put them in a hot enough area before peeling away the exterior and they can re-ripen? or at least look like they are? That's crazy!"

Rarity found herself at something of a loss. Her allegorical reading became increasingly more difficult. It was honestly starting to sound like Valen was just talking about fruit. it couldn't be that simple though. She was reminded of a recent, quite embarrassing incident involving Rainbow Dash and Hearts and Hooves Day; she had read far too much into things then, but Valen wasn't like Dash. He was an eloquent, intelligent and all together impressional youth, not a free-spirited, forward young mare. This had to be more meaningful then the obvious. She just had to study his words with the precision she applied to her craft.

His first sentence seemed to indicate that he realized that his relationship with his parents could be rewarding, but his time with the Apples was not only more immediate but also more gratifying. Valen's comments about different orange varieties was more baffling. Navel was his father's name right? Moro was probably some other relative... Rarity really should have asked either Valen or Aj more about the Orange family. So Valen was saying that his father could be overly abrasive with him, even when Valen tries to peal back the layers, or get close to them. This Moro Orange (a grandfather maybe?) on the other hand was entirely inflexible to the point where Valen felt no connection.

When he spoke of valencia oranges he clearly was speaking of how he viewed himself. He seemed mostly positive about this kind of orange, but he seemed to be unsure what to feel about this re-ripening thing. This was the hardest point to interpret. Honestly, Rarity wasn't sure what to conclude at this point. Maybe he was saying something deep about his own nature, how he adapts to situations and extremes or some such thing, but maybe at this point he was just blurting out a fact about oranges that he had learned and found fascinating. Rarity couldn't be sure.

"I was supposed to be named Valencia but when I came out a colt they named me Valen, instead. I never understood why, Valen isn't an orange. Valencia is. And it sounds prettier!"

This line gave the unicorn pause. Valen's little hobby had always made her kind of suspect. Preferring the more feminine name in addition to that... it did raise certain questions about Valen. The young pony did strike her sometimes as being quite a lot more like a filly than a colt his age. Rarity wasn't sure what to think on the subject just yet, but she'd keep the thoughts in the back of her mind.

Rarity wasn't sure what to say on the subject of oranges anymore. She didn't know Valen's family. She couldn't really comment on them. Her little platitudes weren't going to change the colt's observations anyway most likely. All she could do was offer encouragement.

"Your parents likely just found the name more suitable for a colt," Rarity said with a nod. "Though I will say that I do agree that Valencia is indeed a beautiful name. And that's not to mention that I find valencia oranges to be easily the most pleasantly sweet."

She wasn't sure what to really say after that, so she just used her magic to find the next bunch of gems and started to trot toward it.

[SteelEagle]

Repetition was a valuable tool in any pony's arsenal, as muscle memory allowed repeated actions to become less and less strenuous as they continued. The only way this mechanism was disabled was if a pony had time t think on it too much. Luckily, as he trotted towards the glowing pile of gems, his mind was still in a way completely twisted by Rarity's intensely vague and yet insistent focus on extensive wordplay. Luckily, she had been less obtuse and verbose this time and all he had to do this time in response was nod his head in silent affirmation. Valencia oranges were the best of the whole lot.

He dug into the hard ground, and within a few moments had extracted the gems. He had long ago given up on shining the gems in the immediate hour and placed them in the wagon, having never unhitched it due to the sheer climb it had taken to get there. Had he unhitched it, surely it would have tumbled down. Even then, he found himself bracing against gravity itself as he gently placed the gems inside the wagon. Wiping his brow, he turned to the mare who had organized this little jaunt into the badlands.

"Well, Miss Rarity, it certainly seems as though we are entering a slightly elevated climate. How are you with mountains? I never saw one until I came to this town. Manehattan has flattened the areas around it to a feverish degree to make room for suburbs and farm. I'm a fan of nature, at least as much as any pony, but sometimes I guess nature must be subverted for Equestria to be improved," Valen suggested as he started to struggle going up the pathway that led higher and higher.

[RarityDash]

"Well, Miss Rarity, it certainly seems as though we are entering a slightly elevated climate. How are you with mountains? I never saw one until I came to this town. Manehattan has flattened the areas around it to a feverish degree to make room for suburbs and farm. I'm a fan of nature, at least as much as any pony, but sometimes I guess nature must be subverted for Equestria to be improved."

If the mare's train of thought had been on anything else, she might have let these lines bass right on by without a second thought, but as it were, this line after the ones about Valen preferring the feminine name definitely leant itself to certain conclusions. Subverting nature for improvement? It was easy to conclude he was speaking about himself here. It was a very real possibility that Valen wanted to become a mare. That sort of thing wasn't unheard of, she supposed. It however wasn't a conclusion to be drawn carelessly. She'd have to observe further before deciding anything definitively when it came to such things. For now, she'd just continue to be careful with her words.

"I don't personally have any issue with mountains or heights. They can be quite picturesque really," Rarity said with a steady nod. "You may be onto something there though. All the same it's not something to approach carelessly. When you flatten that mountain, it's not something that can just be undone, after all. Only when we're absolutely positive in the decision, should we be doing such things, I think."

Noticing Valen had successfully extracted the gems, Rarity used her magic to find the next bunch. There was one a little further up on the path. She trotted toward it casually.

[SteelEagle]

"I don't personally have any issue with mountains or heights. They can be quite picturesque really. You may be onto something there though. All the same it's not something to approach carelessly. When you flatten that mountain, it's not something that can just be undone, after all. Only when we're absolutely positive in the decision, should we be doing such things, I think."

Valen was almost too busy basically pulling himself up the mountain to work his way around her wordplay very effectively. Why was everything so hard with this mare? It was like they were having two wholly different conversations that somehow intertwined with his relatively benign opinion. or maybe she was just an argumentative pony that was sparring with somepony who had no will to be involved. Either way, he was silent for a few seconds in a manner that may have been considered leaving him in deep thought but had to do entirely with wanting to keep upright. He strained against the wagon which by now had some heft to it, the muscles straining against the start. Eventually, he got to some modestly even ground next to the next batch of gems. He gave a deep sigh, took in a deep breath, and dug into the ground with the shovel with far less strength than he had earlier, still attached as he was to the wagon. Still, after a few minutes of work he found himself face to face with some nice, beautiful gems and tossed them with some abandon into the pile in the wagon. he put the shovel in its place and gave a weak smile.

"Geez Miss Rarity, if I didn't know better I'd think you were punishing me with all of this labor!" Valen said as he trotted cautiously up to the mare, unwilling to lose his control and tumble down the path.

"I understand what you're saying about mountains, and I would agree that mountains have a place. But imagine you're a big city and you must expand in order to thrive. Mountains not only take up space, but the area around it can't be farmed and transportation is more difficult. So you knock the mountain down so your city can sustain itself with farm, welcome new ponies who want to immigrate to the city, and expand the city itself. With expansion comes all manner of ways for that city to develop and express itself. With that mountain in the way, however, that city is strangled, choked off from becoming the best it could be, any advantage given by its scenic outlook is really voided when you consider that it is out of place there and stops the city from growing. It isn't about what's wrong regarding the mountain, but what's right for the city," Valen said, the words flittering out of him as he attempted to somehow make an argument without making an argument in an argument that he had no real desire to argue about.

[RarityDash]

"Geez Miss Rarity, if I didn't know better I'd think you were punishing me with all of this labor!"

Valen complained as he finished digging up the latest bunch of gems. Rarity just laughed to herself. She had been expecting this to be hard on the colt. She supposed she might be forced to dig up the last few batches on her own at this rate.

"I understand what you're saying about mountains, and I would agree that mountains have a place. But imagine you're a big city and you must expand in order to thrive. Mountains not only take up space, but the area around it can't be farmed and transportation is more difficult. So you knock the mountain down so your city can sustain itself with farm, welcome new ponies who want to immigrate to the city, and expand the city itself. With expansion comes all manner of ways for that city to develop and express itself. With that mountain in the way, however, that city is strangled, choked off from becoming the best it could be, any advantage given by its scenic outlook is really voided when you consider that it is out of place there and stops the city from growing. It isn't about what's wrong regarding the mountain, but what's right for the city."

The unicorn was a little confused once more. It kind of really sounded like Valen was just talking about city building and infrastructure (a topic she had to say she was a little surprised to find him so knowledgeable and interested in). The metaphor became a little hard to follow here, unless... Valen wasn't the mountain anymore, but instead now the city! Yes, if that was the case, it lined up. He was the city, and the mountain which restricts his continued growth is his inhibitions, perhaps due to his being a colt. Tearing down the mountain, representing both his inhibition and what is natural, would let the city, Valen, flourish. Looking at it like that, this was not the most vague metaphor yet but instead the most obvious. And if it was true, it definitely leant itself to the burgeoning hypothesis that had formed in Rarity's mind.

"Ah, Valen..." Rarity said in a low voice, not sure how to respond at first. "I do agree; a city should be allowed to grow, prosper and thrive without anything to inhibit. I mean simply to say that the decision to tear down nature is not one that should be approached rashly, and especially in the case that the city is still young. It's the kind of decision you need to be entirely sure about..."

As she finished speaking, Rarity lit up her horn once more to find more gems. She didn't see any at first, but then she felt something. It was a reading so strong that it tugged on her horn a little, almost like on the day she got her cutie mark. This one was big. It was however kind of far and well off the main path, amidst higher, rockier terrain. She figured it was worth any risk though. This many gems in one place would have them headed home early, saving both her and Valen lots of work.

"I sense a lot of gems a little ways up this way, Valen," Rarity said as she indicated the steep side path, and started trotting along it.

[SteelEagle]

Valen's mind was being sliced very slowly by Rarity, whose persistence in causing him great mental confusion was seconded only by her ability to do both that and find gems in very difficult to reach spots. Before the young colt could even respond to her line of thought, compelled as he was to engage her in wordplay even though he felt physically maddened by the experience, she informed him of a large collection in a rather inhospitable location. The colt's eyes slowly eased up the path to spot the collection, and he let out a whimper. The path was almost sheer vertical and rocky, every step one of pain. How was he to even keep the gems inside of the wagon? He gulped, but did not let on more than that he was worried as he opened up his saddlebag and placed a cover over the wagon to prevent the gems from escaping their plight in captivity.

Why did he bandy words with her despite the frustration and not mewl at her and give voice to his concerns around Rarity? Surely had it been Applejack...okay, same there, though for a different reason his gut told him. With Applejack it was because he felt like he was letting her down when he saw her work so hard and all he could do was sit there and take deep breaths. With Rarity, it felt different and he didn't know why. And at that time, few resources could be devoted to the thought process as he had to summon his reserves of personal courage to keep himself silent as he pulled the wagon up the path, almost having to get on his stomach and pull himself.

After a few minutes, they arrived in slightly more even clearing. That was a lie; they were still covered on all sides by the rocky outstretching of the mountain, though now they were on slightly more even footing. But still, it was all closed in, rises in elevation hiding what should otherwise have been only a few feet away. The gems, he could not see them.

"Where are they, Miss Rarity?" Valen asked, peeking around jagged corners. Then the little worm of his that said he could not a sleeping pony lie worked its way in and he nodded, breathing in as he tried to get his body back in order. It would provide a pleasant mental exchange while he tried to stop his lungs from bursting.

"And while the decision to reverse nature isn't one to be taken lightly and while it is serious, it is the best choice and the only possible choice for the city," Valen said slowly, taking his time so as to pace his words.

[RarityDash]

"Where are they, Miss Rarity?"

"This way," Rarity said at once, as she motioned up the ever narrow path. Finally, she was able to see the gems, though they were buried kind of deep into the surface of the mountain. She hoped they were able to get to them. "It might get a little difficult to proceed with the wagon. Feel free to leave it here for a while if you don't think you can manage to bring it along."

"And while the decision to reverse nature isn't one to be taken lightly and while it is serious, it is the best choice and the only possible choice for the city."

As she moved up toward the gems, she considered the rest of Valen's words. She gave a nod. Valen's insistence only made Rarity's conclusion even stronger. It was getting hard to ignore at this point.

"Not always. Not every situation, not every city and not every mountain, for that matter, is the same. Some city's do need for their mountains to be torn down, but other cities can work around the mountains or even incorporate them into their architecture," Rarity advised in a soft voice. "Really it comes down to what the ponies of the city, the ones who dwell within it, the very heart of the city you could say, want for their home. That's what is truly best for it I think."

[SteelEagle]

Valen would throw his hooves up in the air in defeat as Rarity's game finally defeated him through frustration, but he didn't want to let his footing loose. Instead, his frustration showed through his voice and tone.

"Fine. You're right. Every city is different but the city I'm talking about needs to expand too much and too fast for the mountain to stay. It's just in the way and while older, more developed cities could build around it, my city can't. It has to knock the mountain down," Valen with full exasperation clear in his voice spoke and let out a heavy sigh. What was it about Manehattan removing a mountain that made Rarity so eager to defend the eyesore that Mount Thunderdome had been in eons past? Was she some sort of environment conscious pony? That'd be fine but she didn't seem the sort. He couldn't understand and that more than anything was driving him up the wall.

Still, they had a job to do and her reasoning regarding the wagon was joyously received. He unhitched the wagon and placed it on the even ground before staring off in the direction of the gems, leaving his saddlebag in the wagon.. They were buried deep in the ground and off the beaten path, in what appeared to be a very small cave. It would be impossible to bring the wagon up the path as little of it wasn't covered in outstretched rocks and harsh surface. It was going to be a hard climb anyway and if the wagon was to make the trip, almost impossible.

Valen led the way, pulling himself up the jagged mountain with some determination. Not a LOT, mind you, because he couldn't get far too invested in the activity since it was a favor more than anything else. Enough determination to get the job done but not enough that it signaled that his life's desire was rock climbing, basically. It was hard. Pegasi could fly and some unicorns could teleport, but few earth ponies had the sheer strength to walk up such landscapes. Most had to basically crawl, like Valen.

After a few minutes of rock climbing, the colt pulled himself over the edge to the outside of the cave, flopping on the ground and taking in sweet, sweet oxygen.

"Geez...this mountain is quite...the obstacle...how many gems are...here?" He asked, not moving his face from the ground.

[RarityDash]

"Fine. You're right. Every city is different but the city I'm talking about needs to expand too much and too fast for the mountain to stay. It's just in the way and while older, more developed cities could build around it, my city can't. It has to knock the mountain down."

This about clenched it as far as Rarity was concerned. Valen clearly at least felt that he had it sorted out in his mind. She was surprised. She wasn't entirely sure what to think, but he had her support. It would be a difficult thing for most ponies to understand, but if he was so sure about, what other choice was there? She'd stand by Valen, even if nopony else would.

"Alright, Valen, I understand. If that's how you feel... perhaps there really isn't anything else that can be done," said said with a solemn nod. "Regardless, know that you... er... your city has my support."

The two continued to maneuver up the rocky path, leaving the wagon behind for now. It was hard to move upward for the both of them. Rarity wished for a moment she could teleport like Twilight. Rock climbing really didn't suit her. Still, she sighed and pulled herself upward, until finally she emerged at the top with Valen.

"Geez...this mountain is quite...the obstacle...how many gems are...here?"

Rarity caught her breath before replying, as she stared ahead. "They're just ahead. It's pretty deep, but if we dig these out... there are so many I think we might just be able to go home early!"

She moved up to the spot where the gems rested below. "Just dig here. I'll help you if you get tired..."

[SteelEagle]

Valen smiled and nodded, though it was utterly joyless. Even in agreement she somehow managed to frustrate him with her unending double talk. Was she like this with everypony? He guessed that having a mind capable of such endless and pointless double-speak was at the very least good for the mind's philosophical capabilities, but in the end he could think little beyond Rarity loved to debate nearly everything when given the chance. Slightly maddening, though he at least enjoyed flexing what little mental strength he claimed as he believed he had been able to decipher her double speak rather well. Did she honestly think she could discuss the finer points of Equestrian civilization without him noticing her pro-Starswirl the Bearded neo-classical arguments!? Bahh! He was academy taught!

Valen worked his way slowly to the cave, the terrain not improving a bit. It grew more even as they breached the top and Valen could finally feast his eyes on the small cave. It wasn't anything too exciting, large enough for perhaps a medium sized picnic. Above it, the mountain stretched all around it like some sort of overbearing older brother who had ill-intent for intruders. Valen had a funny itch on the back of his neck that he attributed to sweat as he walked in, the shovel the only thing on him.

"I hope so, Miss Rarity. That was one difficult climb and if we have to make another such effort, I believe I'll be quite useless," Valen said as he lifted the shovel off of his back and took position above the pile of gems. It was quite the load, but even so close to them they glowed so faintly, deep in the mountain as they were.

He started digging, but already felt something off about the ground beneath him. It was harder, heavier, and had a feeling of granite about them. He bit his lip and tried to retain a pleasant conversational nature- it had helped thus far.

"I think my parents will be- UGGHHH- very shocked to see me return- UGGHHH- the way I'll be after all this," He said, grunting as he made slow progress in the harsh earth, his mewling cascading and echoing across the cave.

[RarityDash]

"I hope so, Miss Rarity. That was one difficult climb and if we have to make another such effort, I believe I'll be quite useless."

Rarity shook her head she trotted with Valen into the small cave, her horn lighting the way. Soon they had reached the spot right above the gems.

"Trust me, Valoren, this will all be worth the effort," Rarity said with a nod as the colt be gan the difficult dig.

"I think my parents will be- UGGHHH- very shocked to see me return- UGGHHH- the way I'll be after all this."

This line gave Rarity pause. He wasn't insinuating that he planned to become a filly before returning to his parents, was he? She didn't want to be the bearer of bad news, but she was pretty sure there wasn't any licensed doctors who would be willing to help him with that at his age without parental approval. No, wait, this time he was maybe not talking about that. It was too obvious. This wasn't connecting to the city metaphor of before after all, and it would be an odd topic to just bring up in earnest after all that double talk. Perhaps he was just talking about his improved physical impression from all the hard work he was doing. It made sense given what he was doing at the moment.

"Yes, I'm sure they'd be quite surprised," Rarity said with a small laugh. She nodded and stepped forward. "Here, let me help you, darling."

She used her magic to grab the shovel toward the end of the handle and pushed it downward along with Valen. Hopefully their combined strength would allow for this rough earth to open up a little easier.

[SteelEagle]

Rarity's magic proved an invaluable tool to the operation, though the feeling of inadequacy as an earth pony was unsettling. To know that with the simple act of will she could do what took the Earth colt such an exertion of energy was disturbing. She could find gems through the simple act of wishing to find them and being in the area. She could manipulate objects and Valen could feel the earth move with added ferocity because of her magic. Why was he even here? Small feelings of near uselessness started to creep in, but he stalwartly would deny them for at least a few moments longer. He was here as a favor and even if he ended up being of little factual importance to the expedition, the point was that he would try like nopony else. After a slight hiccup, he joined his hooves with her magic and dug into the cave's surface with abandon, briefly re-energized by the desire to show he was not completely useless in front of Rarity.

The ground became harsh, dense, entirely unwilling to bow before pressure. The shovel kept on breaking against the resisting soil, nearly-metalic clanking sounds returning with every push. Yet progress was made, as slow and unforgiving as it was, and the gems were starting to feel more vibrant with every passing second. That feeling of uselessness was briefly starting to dissipate into the cool vapors of nothingness, mission fulfilled brilliantly. Finally, with a giant crack, he shattered the last granite defense of the gems was broken open like a clam, revealing the sweet gems inside. This moment of victory allowed Valen to drop the shovel in relief, wiping his brow and rearing up in excitement.

"Great, Miss Rarity! We did it!" He yelped with joy, prancing about the hole for a few seconds and heedless of the tiny little pebbles that touched down on his head from the top of the cave after he yelled. He looked upon the gem pile with glee, jumping down into the hole and steadying himself- also unaware of the ever so minor change in elevation that took place as he stood in the hole.

"Your talent is no lie, Miss Rarity. There are plenty of gems here!"

[RarityDash]

"Great, Miss Rarity! We did it! Your talent is no lie, Miss Rarity. There are plenty of gems here!"

After a lot of straining at the shovel, with their combined efforts, they finally reached the gems. Rarity beamed as she beheld the bevy of beauteous buried jewels. It was definitely a relief to finally see them. As easy as magic made things look, it could still be quite taxing both physically and mentally. Much more would have been hard on Rarity. Satisfied, she gave a nod.

"Yes, darling," Rarity said, smiling at the young colt. "Now we just need to extract them," she added as she shifted herself slightly in the hole.

This was when something happened that caught her off guard. She heard a sound just below them. The sound of rock shifting, crumbling and falling. It was just a sound at first, but then, ever so slightly at first she could feel the ground move below them.

"Let's hurry now, Valen. Something about this place is staring to not feel right," Rarity said, as she started to pull upward on as many gems as she could, unaware that moving the gems might in fact make matters even worse.

[SteelEagle]

The riches underhoof would have been tempting prizes under any circumstance, and the knowledge that they found themselves in ths position through Rarity's magic only made it all the more tempting. Magic, to an Earth colt, was unwaveringly accurate and never deceitful, since unicorns lived such easy lives that were seemingly unbound by the non-magic casting types' lack of lack. These gems were beautiful and without a doubt, they would soon be on their way home. On the way back of course they would have to stop for a real lunch, seeing as it was still so early and their last stop had been far too brief. He had yet to understand why she had so suddenly leapt into a mingling web of wordplay without cause nor rhyme, but the picnic itself had been delightful. Now that they had all the gems, surely it would be time for a superior picnic.

Valen dug slowly into the ground, peeling away the gems and not truly paying attention to his surroundings, wrapped up in the sheer thrill of emergent success. he didn't notice that the rather large hole that had been dug seemed to be slowly sinking, nor did he pay much attention to the faint breezes that seemed to waft from the ground herself as the gems were plucked away. The sounds of gems being tossed out of the whole to clank against nearby rocks produced small peddles that fell from above in ever increasing amounts. Valen didn't notice any of these things, as Rarity's order to hurry up and extract the gems played a crucial role in driving the colt forward through the ground. His inattention and lack of awareness would prove his undoing, though fate plays all ponies as fools and perhaps he was doomed the day he was born to have been the patsy for fate's play.

He had turned to Rarity to hand her a clutch of gems with his outstretched hoof when the weakening floor beneath him finally gave way. The gems had been the final hard layer before a giant cavern underneath, and without the gems the thin layer of rock could not support Valen, let alone both of the ponies who had jumped down into the hole. The ground swallowed the foal whole and before he could absorb the reality, he was falling through dank, cold air. He shot both hooves out towards Rarity and grabbed a hold to her, and both of them screamed. That didn't help matters as the cave's weak roof could barely withstand what little noise had been made earlier; the screams of two terrified ponies didn't help matters and the roof started to collapse. Valen felt secure, Rarity's strong form able to hold her ground, until he saw the roof coming down on them. Just as both looked up, the rest of the hole fell from beneath them and the two ponies fell down into the abyss below.

Thankfully, their fall wasn't as long as the pair slammed into a remarkably even surface no more than twenty feet from where they had once been standing. Valen lost all breath he had in him as he fell on his back, his head smacking into the rock and causing him to lose awareness for a handful of seconds. The two rolled along the sloped surface as the hectic and stunning array of noises from the collapsed roof echoed with a dull bass as the boulders and rocks seemingly followed the ponies down the slope. The pair attempted once or twice to get some sort of footing or to reach out to the other but their efforts were mocked by harsh and unforgiving reality until they both ended the sloped surface and free-fell for a few seconds directly into a large stream whose current was far fiercer than anything they should have expected. They plunged into the depths, water filling Valen's airless lungs before he panicked and threw his hooves up towards the surface which was cracking as the boulders and rocks started to follow the two off of the slope and into the stream. One particular rock, perhaps one with a special hatred of colts, cracked against his skull. Valen would never see nor hear the rock that stole from him his consciousness.

He sunk into the stream, but there was a far more capable pony nearby. Rarity, banged, bruised, panicking, saw Valen start to sink and shot through the stream to pick him up putting him up on her back as she herself came up from the stream, gasping for breath. Momentary success, as before she could take a look at the colt and ask a question, she felt something grab her attention forward.

It was a waterfall.

The two tumbled over as the collapse of the cave continued, covering the hole they had fallen through, the rocks destroying through impact the slope, and the massive number of chips, rocks, pebbles, and boulders starting to dam up the stream.

Twenty minutes after the foal and mare had entered the cave, everything was silent. The cave collapse had allowed large amounts of the mountain to slide down, covering the cave's existence and allowing what seemed to be a near endless amount of it to stuff the former cave, the slope, and the stream until the small hole near the waterfall was packed tight against; everything was now blocked off.

Only the dust and the rare bouncing rock from the top of the slide indicated anything had happened.

That and a single lonely wagon filled with gems and a foal's saddlebag.